Mobile bundles ‘the next PPI’
Street shut off in ricin scare Customers ‘may have overpaid £500m’ on contracts
POLICE sealed off a street yesterday after reports a man had swallowed deadly ricin.
Officers in hazmat suits were seen working round his home after being called by paramedics.
The man, in his 20s, who is believed to have downed seeds containing the toxin, was later described as “stable” in hospital.
Just a few grains of ricin is usually fatal to humans.
Police cars and vans, five fire engines and several ambulances were spotted by the home in Wythenshawe, Manchester.
Neighbour Jim Hutton said: “The lad’s mother came out shouting ‘where the f*** are they? My son’s dying’. They were putting bio suits on at that point.”
Greater Manchester
Police said: “Police were called before
9am [over] concern for a man. It was established he had consumed an unknown substance.
“A man, in his 20s, remains in a stable condition. There is no wider threat to the community.”
MOBILE phone giants charging for handsets that customers have already paid off could face a flood of PPI-style compensation claims.
Campaigners want networks to give refunds – that could total £500million – in the way that banks settled over payment protection insurance.
The move comes ahead of new industry measures designed to cut phone bills.
More than 1.4 million users will be switched to cheaper deals when their contracts end from next month.
It follows concern that people on ‘bundled’ deals have continued to pay the original price after the minimum contract period ends.
Phone regulator Ofcom says the rip-off contracts are costing customers on average £11 extra a month, or £132 a year. New guidelines will mean they automatically roll on to a cheaper simonly plan, where they pay for airtime only, at the end of their contract.
Networks must also itemise each part of the package at the point of sale.
Martyn James, from complaints handling website Resolver, said: “If people have been overcharged, they
should be refunded.
Ofcom’s new rules will undoubtedly make things better for millions, who might have been overcharged in the future. But that still leaves the millions who have already been overcharged.”
A Citizens Advice report in 2018 estimated four million users had paid £500million for sets they owned.
Ernest Doku, from price comparison site uSwitch.com, said: “While the introduction of end-of-contract notifications is great news for consumers, if they are out of contract they should act not wait around for a letter.”
Ofcom does not have powers to force companies to set prices or tariffs.
Similarly, there is not a legal requirement for customers to be refunded as they are not in breach of existing rules.
Banks were forced to repay more than £50billion over mis-sold PPI.